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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28960011">In Like a Lion</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolphin_ring/pseuds/dolphin_ring'>dolphin_ring</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Crossover, Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 06:22:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28960011</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolphin_ring/pseuds/dolphin_ring</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucy, a young witch, is staying at her grandfather's house during the Hogwarts school holidays. While exploring the house, she finds what looks like a vanishing cabinet, but it transports her out of Britain and into another world... one where it is always winter and never Christmas, where a cruel witch is using dark magic to take power, and where the future of a country may depend on the bravery of one young Gryffindor.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. An Unexpected Journey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's always winter but never Christmas<br/>It seems this curse just can't be lifted<br/>Yet in the midst of all this ice and snow<br/>Our hearts stay warm cause they are filled with hope<br/>- In Like a Lion (Always Winter) by Relient K</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was snowing when she arrived, so Lucy thought she must be in Scotland. It was summer in Johannesburg when she left, but also December. That was one of the best things about visiting her grandfather over the school holidays, knowing she was heading to pool parties and backyard cricket games, fresh lemonade from the huge tree in the back garden, and all the sunshine she could soak up after months of increasingly cold and wet weather at Hogwarts. Correspondingly, one of the worst things was leaving long spring days in June at the end of term for icy winter weather and bulky sweaters. </p><p>So, when Lucy saw the snow swirling around her, falling thick from an iron sky and blanketing the pines, she first thought it was the Forbidden Forest. She had vanished from her grandfather's spare bedroom in a South African suburb and seemingly appeared instantly in a remote, unplottable corner of Scotland.<br/>
And she wasn't completely wrong, she had vanished, as in fact she had intended to do. </p><p>And the tall wardrobe she had stepped into was a vanishing cabinet, as Lucy had known it must be. Vanishing cabinets were illegal, of course, but they were also famous. One had been used to kill one of the greatest wizards of all time only sixty years ago; there was a long write-up about in her in copy of Hogwarts: A History, and Lucy had read it over and over, interested in the cabinet as much as reading about her famous grandfather’s involvement in the story. Apparently, they had been rare before that, but since had completely disappeared. She’d checked Magical Objects and How to Use Them to be sure and the page on vanishing cabinets listed it as no versions available.  </p><p>This one, with its tall, carved doors and faint, almost musical hum as she approached, was a perfect match for the pictures in Hogwarts: A History. She hadn't expected it to be working though. Vanishing cabinet connections were reportedly difficult to maintain and the cabinets themselves notoriously prone to breaking down. But she'd wanted to see inside it, to be able to tell her roommates that she'd seen a real Vanishing Cabinet, nevermind that she hadn't actually used it to go anywhere. But then she had gone somewhere. </p><p>The cabinet's hum had grown stronger and harsher, reverberating around her until it hurt her ears. Lucy had huddled on the boards, hands over the ears, praying to all the gods and goddesses she'd ever read about. </p><p>And then, suddenly, the noise stopped. All was still and silent. </p><p>Lucy shivered. It was cold, too. </p><p>She opened the door slightly and peeked out. Everything was shades of grey. Tall trees, blanketed in snow, reaching up to a twilight sky. Snowflakes drifting down on her, melting in her hair and on her face as she tipped it up to the sky. She stepped out of the cabinet, her boots crunching on the snow. Lucy slowly spun in a circle. She was in the middle of a small clearing, with snow-dipped trees all around. </p><p>The cabinet stood silent and empty behind her. It’s sharp outlines and dark panels all at odds with the rounded shapes of the snow-covered ground and trees.<br/>
There were no stars visible through the clouds to sight by, but it looked like the Forbidden Forest. And it certainly felt like a Scotland winter. Lucy shivered again. She was only wearing her light summer robes, suited for her afternoon plans of prowling around her grandfather’s house, which was full of interesting antique, magical objects. </p><p>I have two choices, thought Lucy. I can get back in the cabinet and hope it takes me back home, or I can explore the Forest and see if I can get through the trees to the Lake. It's getting dark but if I walk straight ahead I'm sure I can find it. </p><p>She thought about it—she was cold, the woods looked slightly spooky and she'd heard stories about creatures living in the Forbidden Forest. Stories she wasn't entirely sure were made up only to scare the first years. But she was a Gryffindor and she didn't want to go back yet. This was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her. Traveling in a vanishing cabinet. Traveling halfway across the world. An adventure all of her own to be able to tell her friends about. So, gripping her wand tightly in her hand, she started walking. </p><p>“Lumos”, said Lucy, and her wand tip lit up. And ahead of her, through the trees, she saw the lamppost.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Even in the Darkest of Times</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lucy approached slowly, creeping from tree to tree towards the distant light. The closer she got, the stranger it seemed. </p><p>It was a tall, wrought iron lamppost. The top capped with a small peak of snow, the light casting golden diamonds onto the snow. Lucy circled it slowly, wondering why there was a lamp in the middle of the Forest. This wasn't even a clearing, the trees circled the lamp so closely she hadn't even seen the light before. </p><p>And then she heard someone—or something—coming. Lucy's first instinct was to hide. She scrambled away from the lamp and ducked behind a fallen tree. <br/>Lucy held her breath but could still hear her heart pounding loudly. Belatedly she extinguished her wandtip, but kept her wand in her hand. </p><p>She was slightly embarrassed, she didn't feel like a brave Gryffindor while crouching in the snow behind a rotting tree, but if it was a teacher coming she didn't want to have to explain how she got here and why she wasn't at home. And if it wasn't a teacher... A feeling like a trickle of melting snow ran down her back as she remembered all the stories told in the common room about the creatures that lived in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. So, Lucy stayed behind the log and waited as the sound of footsteps came closer. </p><p>A man stepped out into the light of the lamppost, holding an open umbrella over his head in one hand and a stack of neatly wrapped, brown paper packages in the other. Or no, not a man. Because while he was wearing a grey coat and scarf his legs were covered in thick fur and ended in two, small cloven hoofs. A faun. Lucy had never seen one in person before. There was a section on them in Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them, but she'd found the beginning paragraph weirdly disparaging and hadn't read the rest.</p><p>She peeked up above the log a bit more to better see. The faun was greeting the trees as he passed, as if he knew them all individually. He bowed slightly as he passed the tallest pine next to the lamppost. Lucy shifted to try and keep him in view as he walked on and knocked some of the loose snow off the log. It landed mostly on her, with a barely audible whispering sound, but the faun immediately spun around. </p><p>“Who's there,” he said sharply, scanning the trees. </p><p>He sounded frightened, Lucy thought,  more than anything else, and so she slowly rose up from behind the fallen tree. </p><p>“I'm sorry, sir,” she said. </p><p>“Who are you? Are you one of *her* spies?” He asked. </p><p>“I didn't mean to spy on you, sir,” Lucy said. “I'm lost and when I heard you coming I got frightened.” </p><p>The faun stepped toward her, moving lightly across the snow. “These woods can be frightening,” he agreed. “Where are your people, where are you trying to get to?” </p><p>“Umm,” said Lucy. “I was trying to find the lake and the castle. Hogwarts?” She looked around again. She could see faintly see the vanishing cabinet in the distance, but there was still no sign of the woods’ edge or the large castle beyond.  </p><p>His eyes narrowed. “Is that a code? You are a spy!” His voice was harsh now and he no longer sounded friendly.</p><p>“No, no,” said Lucy. She swallowed reflexively. “I'm not staying, I’m not from here, I'm just trying to get back to the castle by the lake. I go to school there.” Lucy’s heart was galloping in her chest now. She wasn’t sure whether to keep talking and see if she could convince him or if it would be better or run before he got any angrier. If only she knew which direction to go. </p><p>The faun’s eyes swept over her but he didn't say anything for a moment. Lucy tried to brush the snow off her robes, but some of it had already melted through the fabric. She clenched her fists to keep them from trembling with cold or fear. </p><p>“Well,” said the faun at last, “you'd better come back with me. The castle is at least a day's walk from here, but I can send a message there for you.” </p><p>Lucy hesitated. She wasn't sure about following a stranger through the forest, especially one who seemed suspicious of her. But she was cold, she didn't know where Hogwarts even was from here, and by now it was almost completely dark. Only the lamp made it possible to see more than the outline of the trees against snowy ground and evening sky. She shivered again, her whole body wanting to continue to shake. Her fingers felt numb around her wand. </p><p>“Are, are we going somewhere out of the s-snow?” She stammered. Lucy wasn't yet able to do a strong warming charm and didn't think it would be wise to light any kind of fire while in the forest. So, if the faun was offering warmth, she take it. And hope it didn't end up being a reckless and foolish thing to do. </p><p>“Yes, yes of course,” he said. “My home is just this way. It will be warm and dry. You can wait in comfort there while I send a message to the castle for you.” He gestured with the umbrella in the direction he'd initially been walking and snow flew off in an arc. “Follow me.” </p><p>“Thank you,” said Lucy, dodging the flying snow. </p><p>She followed him as he set off between the dark trees, trying to keep one eye on her surroundings so she'd know the way back and the other on the swiftly walking faun.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Men, Monks, and Gamekeepers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They walked through the snow. At first, the faun hurried in front, while Lucy tried to keep up. She was wearing canvas, muggle shoes and they had already been soaked by the snow when Lucy had left the lamppost, by now her toes were numb and she kept tripping over snowy hummocks as she hurried along. </p><p>He looked back and paused. “Forgive my rudeness,” the faun said formally, and held out his arm for her to take. “Let me hold the umbrella over both of us and help you along. I do not mean to rush you, but it is best not to be in these woods after nightfall.”   </p><p>Lucy took his arm thankfully, but didn’t speak. She didn’t think she could unclench her jaw enough to speak without her teeth chattering their way out of her mouth. <br/>Only a few minutes after that they walked down a small hill and into a rocky valley. There were large stones, cloaked in snow, leaning against each other and lying all across the ground. The faun helped her around and over them until they reached the largest boulder. They turned into its shadow and were suddenly in a cave. </p><p>Lucy blinked. It was like walking through a disillusionment charm, but one cast on an entire house. The cave was warm and comfortable, the floor covered in a soft red rug, the walls hung with tapestries, and cushion heaped chairs arranged around a fireplace. It reminded her of Hagrid’s cabin. The Hogwart’s groundstaff had moved to their current quarters in chalets around the thestral barns long before Lucy arrived at Hogwarts, but Professor Hagrid’s cabin was kept exactly as it has looked when he was a teacher. He was retired now and rarely appeared, even seeing him was on the 777 Things To Do Before You Graduate list, and an elf lived there, but it was still known as Hagrid’s. Lucy had only seen it once, in her first year, but it had the same immediate sense of comfort. The elf owner had been invited up to the castle for tea with Professor Creevy and Lucy’d been asked to carry the message after her DADA class. She was meant to only stay for a moment, but had found it such a cozy space and a refuge from the dreary autumn weather that she hadn’t wanted to leave. Plus, elves told the most interesting stories. Lucy wondered now if there was anything better than leaving bad weather and coming indoors to a cozy home with a warm fire and the imminent prospect of tea. </p><p>The faun had been quickly tapping around the cave while she stood there admiring it, dropping his packages on a side table, putting another log on the fire, and swinging a kettle over the flames. </p><p>“Come and sit down,” he said. “We’ll have tea and then we’ll get a message to the castle for you. My usual messenger will be along shortly.”</p><p>Lucy sat down, in the armchair he’d indicated, and stretched out her shoes toward the hearth. She wished again she’d learned how to perform a warming charm. Or a drying charm for her damp robes. Instead, she focused on the warmth of the fire and, soon, on the excellent tea the faun served her. </p><p>After three cups, and five of the rosemary and lemon biscuits he served with the tea, Lucy felt completely warm. “Thank you, she said, “you’ve been most kind.”</p><p>“Not at all, not at all,” said the faun, who’d seemed much happier ever since they arrived at his house. “Any friend of the Queen is a friend of mine.”</p><p>Lucy frowned, her eyebrows drawing together. “The Queen?” she said confusedly. “You mean, of England?”</p><p>The faun frowned back at her. “Angland?” he asked and they both stared at each other for a moment. </p><p>“Pardon me,” said Lucy, “But Mr.? Sorry, umm, I don’t know your name. But where am I?”   </p><p>The faun tipped his head to the side. “You are in Narnia, of course. In the forests surrounding the castle of Cair Paravel. And I am Tumnus.”</p><p>Don’t panic, Lucy told herself, stay calm and carry on, or something like that. Clearly something had gone disastrously wrong with the vanishing cabinet since none of the names the faun, Mr. Tumnus, had said meant anything to her. But falling into a panic wouldn’t help anything. </p><p>So, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Tumnus,” was all Lucy said, and took a fortifying gulp of her fourth cup of tea. </p><p>“I’m Lyncis Black, but everyone calls me Lucy.”</p><p>“And you’re human? A girl, in fact?”</p><p>“Yes,” said Lucy, holding back the of course, since perhaps fauns had a different concept of gender. “And I thought I was in Scotland, near Hogwarts Castle, but clearly I was mistaken. Geography has never been my best subject and so I’ve never actually heard of Narnia and Cair Paravel before. Are we in Europe then?”</p><p>But Mr. Tumnus didn’t seem to have even heard her. “A human girl?” He repeated. “And you don’t actually know the Queen?”</p><p>“Um, yes and no?” said Lucy. “I mean, yes I’m a girl, but no I don’t know your Queen of Narnia. I’ve never been here before.”</p><p>“I never really thought,” said Mr. Tumnus quietly, but didn’t finish his sentence and say what exactly he hadn’t thought. Instead, he put on a sort of forced smile and said briskly, “Yes, Narnia, land of forests and rivers, let me tell you…” And he went for a long time with stories of Narnian life and the peoples who lived there, all of whom seemed to be of the magical world, but none of whom seemed to be human.</p>
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